In the wake of the Bangor City Council’s recent decision to put off any decision on raising the city’s minimum wage until after the election in November, the city’s most popular DJ has decided to take a stand.

“I’m not going to raise the roof, or rock this city’s parties again until the City Council does the right thing and raises the minimum wage,” DJ Misery Luvs A House Party told this Modern Philosopher.

Well known on the Maine party scene, the DJ, who prefers to keep his true identity a secret, is famous for dressing up as Annie Wilkes from Misery when he spins.

You think you deserve a higher minimum wage???

“Misery is my favorite movie and book, and Stephen King is a native son, so I honor him every time I’m out there pushing my beats,” he explained, thankfully while not in his Annie mask. “King’s story is a perfect metaphor for what the City Council is trying to do to Maine’s working class. They are hobbling hardworking Mainers with a minimum wage that’s not nearly enough to live on.”

The minimum wage in Bangor is currently a ridiculous $7.50 per hour. The proposal before the City Council would raise it to $8.25 in 2016, with an additional 75 cent increase each year until 2019.

However, the council decided it needed more time.

“What do they need more time for?” DJ Misery threw his hands in the air like he just didn’t care. Only he did. Very much.

“I’m lucky enough to earn a decent living doing what I love,” he continued, “but I actually starting deejaying to supplement my income. I worked at a local restaurant and I just couldn’t make ends meet.”

He said many of his friends are struggling to get by at minimum wage jobs, and he recently realized that a large percentage of the Mainers who enjoy his music often can’t afford to go out to see him spin.

“It’s ridiculous man!” he growled in frustration as he picked up the sledgehammer that he brings to gigs as part of his Annie costume.

In case you were wondering, Modern Philosophers, the sledgehammer is real. Luckily, his frustration didn’t get to him enough to cause him to use it during our interview.

“I started asking the clubs to give free entry to my shows to anyone who could prove they earned minimum wage, but they wouldn’t do it. They said it wasn’t financially feasible. So I told them it wasn’t morally feasible for me to keep spinning for only the fat cats and spoiled rich kids.”

He did a few house parties for minimum wage earning fans, but realized that he could make more of an impact by not playing.

“Most of my summer gigs are private parties for the kids or relatives of City Council members or the owners of business who won’t pay Mainers a fair wage,” he informed me after putting down his sledgehammer.

“I decided to pull the plug on them. Why should they get to raise the roof and dance the night away while my real fans are out working double shifts just so they can pay the bills and put some food on the table?”

DJ Misery’s stand has made him the darling of Maine’s working class, and a thorn in the side of those with a little extra cash to burn.

“I’m not going to name names, but I’ve gotten dozens of messages from fans telling me they refuse to talk to their parents until they do something about this problem. Maybe the people with the power to enact change can be so indifferent because the issue doesn’t affect them directly, but once they have to deal with a little discord within their own homes, they might change their tune!”

This Modern Philosopher is a true believer in the power of the people. DJ Misery Luvs A House Party might not be raising the roof in protest, but Mainers have the power to blow the roof off this minimum wage debate.

Speak up! You have the power to make the City Council see things differently. Let’s pull Bangor’s wages into the 21st century…

3 Responses to Bangor DJ Refuses To Raise The Roof Until City Raises Minimum Wage

As a staunch republican I can’t imagine the turmoil DJ is causing in the lives of the city’s employers? How are they supposed to go to their businesses and make important decisions sustaining our economy across America if their ability to cut lose and raise the roof after hours has been taken out from under them? DJ House Party should know this could soon spin out of control and the record will show he is the culprit! The modern philosopher wants to remind everyone that The Man can’t be messed with!